The Friday Forecast

Good Afternoon Mustang Families,

On Wednesday, it was confirmed from the Governor and our Superintendent that school will not be back in session on our campus for the 2019-2020 school year. My heart breaks for our Seniors as we know there were a lot of traditions and events we were looking forward to that will now be changed. I want you to know that this is something we are not taking lightly. Every day, we have been coming together to figure out how we can make the Class of 2020 experience the best it can be during these unprecedented times. We have been meeting with our teachers and they are preparing to connect with all of our students on April 20 as we begin distance learning from an online platform. (More Info Below)

We are currently working on a plan for some type of Virtual Graduation on May 28 to recognize our Class of 2020 that will give some closure to the school year. We also plan to create an opportunity for our Seniors to be celebrated in some fashion when we are allowed to meet in large groups again. We love our students, we miss our students, we miss their energy, their optimistic attitudes, greeting them in the morning, and wishing them a great day as they head home. This place is not the same without them and I can't tell you how much our staff is ready to see our students again, first through online platforms, and ultimately in person. Please stay safe, healthy, and continue to practice social distancing as we navigate through these uncertain times. Stay connected and continue to spread positivity as a Mustang Family.

Ryan Maine

Principal

Dear WVUSD Families,

On Wednesday, April 1, 2020, California State Governor Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond directed all school districts to close campuses for the remainder of the school year due to the safety concerns surrounding the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The Walnut Valley Unified School District (WVUSD) is working closely with the California Department of Education (CDE) and Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) to navigate the closure of our school campuses for the remainder of the year.

Let me start by sharing how much sadness I feel for our students, families, and staff throughout our entire School District community. We strive to make “school” the most positive and memorable experience in our students’ lives … and to have that experience shortened has, and will continue to have, an enormous impact on each of them. As a parent and educator, I empathize with the kids who miss “hanging out” with their friends at school, not being able to sit in their favorite teachers’ classrooms, missing the stage or the ballfield … and a multitude of other lost experiences that impact each student in a unique way. During my 26 years in education, I have never experienced such a significant disruption to how we do “school.” I do, however, understand the need and I hope this mandatory closure of all schools in California will provide a healthier and safer environment for everyone.

Perhaps the most impacted group of students, and those that many of us have been thinking about with a heavy heart since I first announced Phase 1 of our school closures, are our high school seniors … the Class of 2020. I am immensely thankful to this amazing group of young people and I am confident of their bright futures and great things ahead for them! I am also truly sorry that, due to this mandated closure of schools and understandably so, their graduation ceremony and related activities will not be held in the traditional manner on May 28 (with a stadium full of family and friends).

However, their high school principals and leadership teams are working diligently to create non-traditional experiences that we hope will also be forever memorable and honor them and you (their families) for the many, tremendous accomplishments. Your high schools will provide information soon. In the meantime, thank you for your patience as the planning continues.

Although students will not return to their campuses for the 2019/2020 school year, the District will continue to provide Distance Learning for all grade levels. We are finalizing our Expanded Distance Learning Plan, which will ensure that all teachers will facilitate the education of their assigned students. This means that your child’s teacher and/or teacher(s) will formally begin the process of educating your student in a non-traditional classroom setting. Beginning April 20, each teacher will communicate with students and/or families to present learning in an online format. Just as in a traditional setting, students will be held accountable for participating in online classes, completing assignments, and communicating with his/her teacher. More information will be provided by the District, the school, and the teacher(s). We are also in the process of providing computers to students as needed (based on our previous survey of parents).

As you are aware, next Friday begins our regularly scheduled Spring Break here in WVUSD. Over the next five (5) business days, please continue to have your students receive enrichment lessons, activities, and projects … these can be found on our LEARN website. Teachers and staff continue to prepare digital curriculum, lesson plans, and participate in various professional development opportunities so that our Expanded Distance Learning Program is rigorous, relevant, and appropriate to the level of education expected in Walnut Valley.

I appreciate the commitment of our employees and the support of our families during this unprecedented time. Our PHASE 1 Distance Learning Plan was meant to minimize the learning gaps during the initial school closures and maintain, to the best of our ability, the students’ prior knowledge. Our staff worked diligently over three (3) days to develop the resources intended for 16 instructional days leading up to our Spring Break.

Once the school closures were extended, educators across the District worked collaboratively (and continue to do so) to develop PHASE 2 of our Expanded Distance Learning Program, which will be implemented through the remainder of the school year. I encourage parents (and students) to prepare for a home environment conducive to extended day learning as we prepare for an April 20 start date for Phase 2. Online professional development will be provided over the next couple of weeks for students and families to better prepare for this significant shift in education.

We will continue to share new developments surrounding school and office closures in WVUSD through our regular communication channels, including emails, text messages, and/or phone calls, as well as social media.

In closing, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank you and our entire educational community for your ongoing support of our schools, our staff, and our students. During this challenging time, I am especially appreciative of the District’s long-standing focus on “KIDS FIRST – EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY!”

Please be safe and stay healthy.

Sincerely,

Bob

Robert P. Taylor, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Walnut Valley Unified School District

Students are allowed to come on our campus April 7th and 8th from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm to pick up books, materials, or any other necessary items they need as we transition in online learning. We ask that students also clean out their lockers during this time as we are not expected to come back on campus. We will send out a textbook check-in schedule towards the end of the school year.

The following guidelines from Public Health will need to be strictly adhered to when you come to the school site.

• Social distancing- stay 6 feet apart from other students.
• Do not congregate in groups
• If you have been exposed to a person with a confirmed case of COVID-19 or a person who has symptoms, you are not to come on campus. CDC guidelines state that “Emerging evidence suggests a significant number of people may be infected with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic and capable of spreading the virus to others. People are now considered to be infectious 48 hours before the start of their symptoms until their isolation period ends. This makes social distancing and frequent hand washing even more crucial.”
• Do not come to the school site if you are experiencing mild symptoms (coughing, shortness of breath) or mild fever.

Thank you for being patient with us as we transition into Phase 2 of our Distance Learning Plan. Starting April 20, students are expected to begin working through online instruction with their teachers. A detailed schedule will be sent out next week that we will use for students to stay on track during the day as well as time-specific content blocks where teachers may use that time to meet with students, offer instruction, hold Office Hours, answer questions, review content, or check-in with students.

Currently, our staff is working behind the scenes to transition their curriculum to an online platform and create weekly schedules for our students. We are asking parents to please make sure students have a place to learn when they are at home, understand the schedule below, and make sure students check their WVUSD GMail on a daily basis. Our teachers will begin sending updates and expectations as we transition to Phase 2 on April 20 and finish out the year through an online learning platform.

Graduation Tickets - At this time, we are working on still holding some form of celebration for our Seniors when the large group gathering restrictions are lifted. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled celebration for our Seniors, we will provide information regarding refunds once we have more clarity on when we can meet as a large group.

Grad Night - We are working closely with Disneyland on their next steps and how they plan to refund the money, postpone to another time, or provide some type of package for students to go at anytime. Once we get information we will send that out right away.

Diplomas - We are working closely with our district to figure out a plan to hand out diplomas to our Graduating Seniors.

As we prepare for Distance Learning, many of you have requested a Chromebook/Device for at-home learning. In an effort to minimize lines and crowds when we distribute these devices, we are asking all families to fill out a Device Loan Agreement now by clicking here Chromebook Loan Agreement . If you did not fill out the Chromebook Request Form but you realize that you need a device, just fill out the Loan Agreement. Please submit your Loan Agreement by Friday, April 3rd. We are anticipating distributing devices at our school sites next week. Please make sure to input your email address and phone number accurately as this is the way we will contact you when we are ready for distribution. If you have any questions or if you cannot access the form, please contact Dr. Resma Byrne at rbyrne@wvusd.k12.ca.us or leave a message at (909) 595-1261 ext. 31215.

Our amazing publications students put together a digital HoofPrint during the school closure. Please check it out by clicking the link below.

CLASS OF 2020!! We want to celebrate where you will be attending school next year. Once you decide where you are going to college, fill out the Google Form, upload a photo, & we will recognize this major accomplishment! ⁣

Audition forms and dance routines will be released on April 6th. All forms and videos will be due April 9th.

Sign up below.

More information will be emailed to you in the coming weeks once you have signed up.

Early this week, our staff has been working around the clock to provide the resources your child will need over the next four weeks. At this time, your child should have heard from their teachers in regards to what to expect in their classes over the next 16 days of school closure. Our staff has created an academic resource webpage for each subject that will help your child review, enrich, and practice during this closure time. We encourage you to utilize these resources with your child to help minimize the learning gap. The resources page can be found below as well as a tutorial video on how to access these documents.

We have provided social-emotional resources for your child as well as the district resource page that was formed in collaboration with educators, experts in the field of social and emotional health of children, and local mental health and wellness providers. It is a consortium to serve as a one-stop place in the Walnut Valley Unified School District for academic, wellness, and parenting resources. Please view the video message from Superintendent Dr. Taylor on our district-wide Learning Enrichment And Resource Network.

For questions and inquiries to district staff, we have prepared a web-based communication resource for parents/students/community members to contact the district. Click on the tab titled, "COVID-19 School Closure Inquiries" on our District website homepage https://www.wvusd.k12.ca.us/ to submit your questions and inquiries. District staff will respond to you in a timely manner.

Please see the video below from our AP Computer Science Teacher, Nick Blackford, on how our AP Students can utilize free, live, AP review lessons delivered from teachers across the country.

Most AP teachers and students we surveyed prefer to test earlier, while the content is still fresh.

• Exams will be given from May 11–22.
• Makeup test dates will be available for each subject from June 1–5.

• Students can take exams at home or in schools, if they reopen.

• Each subject's exam will be taken on the same day at the same time, worldwide.

Exam Format

• Most exams will have one or two free-response questions, and each question will be timed separately. Students will need to write and submit their responses within the allotted time for each question.

• Students will be able to take exams on any device they have access to—computer, tablet, or smartphone. They'll be able to type and upload their responses or write responses by hand and submit a photo via their cell phones.

• For most subjects, the exams will be 45 minutes long, plus an additional 5 minutes for uploading. Students will need to access the online testing system 30 minutes early to get set up.

• Certain courses—Art and Design: 2D; Art and Design: 3D; Computer Science Principles; Drawing; Research; and Seminar—will use portfolio submissions and will not have a separate online exam. All deadlines for these submissions have been extended to May 26, 2020, 11:59 p.m. ET. Teachers and students may receive separate course-specific communications.

• Students taking world language and culture exams will complete two spoken tasks consistent with free-response questions 3 and 4 on the current AP Exam. Written responses will not be required. We'll provide additional details in the coming weeks to help students prepare.

To learn more about the rationale behind the exam content, watch Trevor Packer's presentation.

Governor Newson issued an order to suspend state standardized testing. We anticipate CAASPP testing will be canceled, pending federal approval for the 2019-2020 school year.

The College Board has canceled the May 2nd SAT administration, as well as the makeup test dates for March. Please visit the College Board website to keep up to date on cancellations, makeups, refunds, and more.

ACT has rescheduled its April 4th national test date to June 13th across the U.S. in response to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Some parents have requested additional guidance from others on how to implement social distancing with teenagers. Here are a few links that you might find useful:

• Tip From Mom in Italy About Covid-19 and Teens
• The Challenges of Social Distancing for Teens
• Tips for Managing Your Child’s Social Distancing

Our ASB President, Matt Mayo, started Walnut Wednesday Broadcasts where he will shine the light on programs that had events canceled and created an avenue for students to share their triumphs during the year. Our third episode aired this Wednesday. Watch below!

Congratulations Katerina Su, who was Selected as All San Gabriel Valley 2nd Team Basketball Player. The 2020 All-Area Girls Basketball team selections article is below.

Congratulations Caleb Santos, who was Selected as All San Gabriel Valley 2nd Team Basketball Player. The 2020 All-Area Boys Basketball team selections article is below.

CONGRATULATIONS COACH GAUTREAU! The California Coaches Association is honoring you as the CCA STATE SWIMMING Coach-of-The-Year. This year’s Awards banquet will be June 13th in Sacramento.

Our Counseling Team provided Social-Emotional Resources for your child during the closure time. Please use the link below for important resources you may need:

9th GRADE (Class of 2023)

Sarah Doramus (interim) (A – Li, ext. 43649)

Jeff Jacks (Lo – Z, ext. 43626)

10th GRADE (Class of 2022)

Ken McDill (A - Lo, ext. 43635)

Corolar Schultz (Lu – Z, ext. 43630)

11th GRADE (Class of 2021)

Viviana Hoyos (A – Lo, ext. 43641)

Sonia Nunez (Lu – Z, ext. 43616)

12th GRADE (Class of 2020)

Nathan Newman (A – Lo, ext. 43632)

Jenny Alegre (Lu – Z, ext. 43644)

ADP (Academic Design Program)

Elisabeth Everts (ext. 34264)

Intervention Counselor

Jennifer Peiten (ext. 43663)

Our annual Parent Information Night was held on March 4th.

We encourage everyone to take a moment to review the PowerPoints presented.

Please click on the appropriate grade level of your student.

These Scholarships are presented by Ray McMullen and Dedicated to Learning Inc. (D2L). D2L is a nonprofit corporation that provides summer school for the middle and high school students of this area.

The corporation is dedicated to developing innovative solutions that create extraordinary opportunities for students and educators around the world. All profits beyond the D2L operational costs are given to schools and school districts as well as to students. One of these scholarships will be presented to a student at Diamond Bar High School and another at Walnut High School.

Nancy McMullen, was an extraordinary elementary school teacher who went to UCLA as an art major and a biological science minor. She later taught for 30 years in the Covina School District. In addition to her teaching and work with kids, she maintained her passion for art and was a water color painter.

• These $1,000 scholarships are given annually in her memory and are intended to help young people pursue a career in a field of the visual arts.
• Applications will be reviewed by a committee of educators and artists.
• The deadline for the application materials and the supporting piece of art is May 8.

Apply for 1 of 4 student #scholarships available through the Walnut Valley Educational Foundation. Hurry, deadline to submit applications is 5/1. Check out http://bit.ly/39zj40E to learn more. Thank you to the wonderful #WVUSD community partners who make these scholarships possible!

Applications must be submitted by Friday, May 15, 2020.

Applications can be sent to:

Lindsay Miyamoto 19376 Red Hawk Road

Walnut, CA 91789

Applications can also be emailed to: LIVE4MTM@gmail.com

Questions can also be answered by calling Lindsay Miyamoto at:(626) 646-3485

***All sporting events and practices are postponed until further notice.

Website: walnuths.net
Location: 400 Pierre Road, Walnut, CA, USA
Phone: 909-594-1333
Facebook: facebook.com/WalnutHighSchool
Twitter: @walnut_mustangs